Reactive arthritis in the right hip following COVID-19 infection: a case report.

BACKGROUND: SARS-COV-2 usually presents with respiratory symptoms but can have various other manifestations and sequelae. One of the rare complications of COVID-19 infection is Reactive Arthritis. While this complication is more likely to occur following sexually transmitted or gastrointestinal infections, other infections such as COVID-19 can lead to reactive arthritis as well. CASE PRESENTATION: Herein, we report a 58 year old woman hospitalized following COVID-19 infection and was discharged after a week. She consequently presented to the clinic ten days after her discharge, complaining of walking difficulties and radiating pain in her right hip. After ultrasound and MRI, she was diagnosed with reactive arthritis inflammation in the hip's neck. Other known microorganisms responsible for reactive arthritis were ruled out before attributing it to the earlier COVID-19 infection. Clinical symptoms were resolved after being treated using a combination of indomethacin and depot methyl-prednisolone for 14 days. CONCLUSION: Latest evidence shows that COVID-19 can lead to autoimmune reactions, including reactive arthritis. Further attention should be paid to symptoms occurring after an episode of infection with COVID-19 to expand our understanding of the disease and the symptoms with which it can manifest.

Pain and Anxiety due to the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Survey of Patients With Delayed Elective Hip and Knee Arthroplasty.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic led to cancelation of all elective surgeries for a time period in the vast majority of the United States. We compiled a questionnaire to determine the physical and mental toll of this delay on elective total joint arthroplasty patients. METHODS: All patients whose primary or revision total hip or knee arthroplasty was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic at a large academic-private practice were identified. An 11-question survey was administered to these patients via email. All data were deidentified and stored in a REDCAP database. RESULTS: Of 367 total patients identified, 113 responded to the survey. Seventy-seven percent of patients had their surgery postponed at least 5 weeks, and 20% were delayed longer than 12 weeks. Forty-one percent of patients reported an average visual analog scale pain score greater than 7.5. Forty percent of respondents experienced increased anxiety during the delay. Thirty-four percent of patients felt their surgery was not elective. Sixteen percent experienced a fall during the delay, and 1 patient sustained a hip fracture. Level of pain reported was significantly associated with negative emotions, negative effects of delay, and whether patients felt their surgery was indeed elective. Seventy-six percent reported trust in their surgeon's judgment regarding appropriate timing of surgery. Communication was listed as the number one way in which patients felt their surgeon could have improved during this time. CONCLUSION: Surgical delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in increased pain and anxiety for many total joint arthroplasty patients. While most patients maintained trust in their surgeon during the delay, methods to improve communication may benefit the patient experience in future delays. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level II.

Thromboelastography utilization for dabigatran reversal in a patient with acute kidney injury.

PURPOSE: This case report describes utilization of thromboelastography (TEG) in the setting of an acute major bleed in a patient on dabigatran who had concomitant acute kidney injury. SUMMARY: An 80-year-old female presented to the emergency department after a fall with complaints of pain in her knee, shoulder, and hip. Her medical history was significant for coronary artery disease, for which she took clopidogrel 75 mg daily, and atrial fibrillation, for which she took dabigatran 150 mg twice daily. The physical exam was remarkable for pain within the shoulder, hip, and knee, which had swelling and ecchymosis that extended into the right thigh. Given the possibility of compartment syndrome with multiple possible etiologies of coagulopathy, TEG and computed tomography angiography (CTa) of the right lower extremity were performed. The initial TEG showed prolonged R time and activated clotting time, indicating clotting factor dysfunction with no additional coagulopathy noted, including antiplatelet effects. On the basis of the TEG and CTa findings, it was decided to reverse dabigatran with 5 grams of idarucizumab. Approximately 1 hour after administration of idarucizumab, the patient was taken to interventional radiology where a limited angiogram of the right lower extremity showed no active extravasation. Because of the patient's renal dysfunction and the possibility of rebound hypercoaguability, repeat TEG tests were ordered at 4 and 8 hours after the initial reversal to ensure clearance of idarucizumab-dabigatran complexes. The repeat TEG values showed complete reversal of the initial coagulopathy noted. During the admission, the patient required no blood transfusions or surgical interventions and all her initial laboratory results improved. CONCLUSION: Serial TEG testing was successful at managing multiple coagulopathies in a patient at risk for trauma-induced compartment syndrome.

Adolescents' sedentary time, affect, and contextual factors: An ecological momentary assessment study.

BACKGROUND: Few adolescents achieve sufficient levels of physical activity, and many are spending most of their time in sedentary behavior. Affective response following sedentary time may influence motivation to remain sedentary. Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) is a real-time data capture methodology that can be used to identify factors influencing sedentary time, such as the context of the home setting, and resulting affective state within a free-living setting. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between context at home and adolescent sedentary time, and the relationship of sedentary time and subsequent affect. METHODS: Adolescents (n = 284; 10-16 y) participated in an EMA study that used random, interval-based sampling methods. Adolescents each received 22 unannounced surveys over 7-days through a smartphone application. One survey was randomly sent within each 2-h time-period. These time-periods occurred between 4:00 pm-8:00 pm on weekdays and 8:00 am-8:00 pm on the weekend. This 15-question survey included a series of questions on context (indoors/outdoors, alone/not alone) and positive affect. Adolescents concurrently wore an accelerometer at the hip, and the 30-min bout of accelerometry data prior to each survey was used in analyses. Mixed-effect location scale models were used to examine the association between context at home and sedentary time (stage 1) and the adjusted sedentary time and positive affect (stage 2), with each model adjusted for covariates. RESULTS: Adolescents were 12.6 ± 1.9 y of age on average, about half were White (58%), and engaged in high levels of sedentary behavior during the 30 min prior to the survey (21.4 ± 6.8 min). Most surveys occurred when adolescents were with others (59%) and indoors (88%). In Stage 1, both being alone and being indoors at home were positively associated with sedentary time (p <  0.001 for both). In Stage 2, adjusted sedentary time was not related to positive affect. Age was negatively related to positive affect (p <  0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Both contextual factors, being alone and indoors at home, were related to additional time spent sedentary compared to being with someone or outdoors. After adjustment, sedentary time was not related to subsequent positive affect, indicating other factors may be related to adolescent's positive affect in home settings.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on emergency and elective hip surgeries in Norway.

Background and purpose - Many countries implemented strict lockdown policies to control the COVID-19 pandemic during March 2020. The impacts of lockdown policies on joint surgeries are unknown. Therefore, we assessed the effects of COVID-19 pandemic lockdown restrictions on the number of emergency and elective hip joint surgeries, and explored whether these procedures are more/less affected by lockdown restrictions than other hospital care.Patients and methods - In 1,344,355 persons aged ≥ 35 years in the Norwegian emergency preparedness (BEREDT C19) register, we studied the daily number of persons having (1) emergency surgeries due to hip fractures, and (2) electively planned surgeries due to hip osteoarthritis before and after COVID-19 lockdown restrictions were implemented nationally on March 13, 2020, for different age and sex groups. Incidence rate ratios (IRR) reflect the after-lockdown number of surgeries divided by the before-lockdown number of surgeries.Results - After-lockdown elective hip surgeries comprised one-third the number of before-lockdown (IRR ∼0.3), which is a greater drop than that seen in all-cause elective hospital care (IRR ∼0.6). Men aged 35-69 had half the number of emergency hip fracture surgeries (IRR ∼0.6), whereas women aged ≥ 70 had the same number of emergency hip fracture surgeries after lockdown (IRR ∼1). Only women aged 35-69 and men aged ≥ 70 had emergency hip fracture surgery rates after lockdown comparable to what may be expected based on analyses of all-cause acute care (IRR ∼0.80)Interpretation - It is important to note for future pandemics management that lockdown restrictions may impact more on scheduled joint surgery than other scheduled hospital care. Lockdown may also impact the number of emergency joint surgeries for men aged ≥ 35 but not those for women aged ≥ 70.

The Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Hip and Knee Arthroplasty Patients in the United States: A Multicenter Update to the Previous Survey.

BACKGROUND: In March 2020, elective total hip and knee arthroplasty (THA and TKA) were suspended across the United States in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. We had previously published the results of a survey to the affected patients from 6 institutions. We now present the results of a larger distribution of this survey, through May and June 2020, to electively scheduled patients representing different regions of the United States. METHODS: Fifteen centers identified through the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons Research Committee participated in a survey study of THA and TKA patients. Patients scheduled for primary elective THA or TKA but canceled due to the COVID-19 elective surgery stoppage (3/2020-5/2020) were included in the study. Descriptive statistics along with subgroup analysis with Wilcoxon rank were performed. RESULTS: In total, surveys were distributed to 2135 patients and completed by 848 patients (40%) from 15 institutions. Most patients (728/848, 86%) had their surgery postponed or canceled by the surgeon or hospital. Unknown length of surgical delay remained the highest source of anxiety among survey participants. Male patients were more likely to be willing to proceed with surgery in spite of COVID-19. There were minimal regional differences in responses. Only 61 patients (7%) stated they will continue to delay surgery for fear of contracting COVID-19 while in the hospital. CONCLUSION: Similar to the previous study, the most anxiety-provoking thought was the uncertainty, over if and when the canceled joint replacement surgery could be rescheduled. Patients suffering from the daily pain of hip and knee arthritis who have been scheduled for elective arthroplasty remain eager to have their operation as soon as elective surgery is allowed to resume.

COVID-19-related cancellation of elective orthopaedic surgery caused increased pain and psychosocial distress levels.

PURPOSE: Health care systems in most European countries were temporarily restructured to provide as much capacity as possible for the treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients. Subsequently, all elective surgeries had to be cancelled and postponed for months. The aim of the present study was to assess the pretreatment health status before and after COVID-19-related cancellation and the psychosocial distress caused by the cancellation. METHODS: For this study, a questionnaire was developed collecting sociodemographic data and information on health status before and after the cancellation. To assess psychosocial distress, the validated depression module of the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), was implemented. PHQ-9-Scores of 10 and above were considered to indicate moderate or severe depressive symptoms. In total, 119 patients whose elective orthopaedic surgery was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic were surveyed once at least 8 weeks after the cancellation. RESULTS: Seventy-seven patients (65%; 34 female, 43 male) completed the questionnaire and were included. The predominant procedures were total knee arthroplasty (TKA), hip arthroscopy and foot and ankle surgery. The mean pain level significantly increased from 5.5 ± 2.2 at the time of the initially scheduled surgery to 6.2 ± 2.5 at the time of the survey (p < 0.0001). The pain level before cancellation of the surgery was significantly higher in female patients (p = 0.029). An increased analgetic consumption was identified in 46% of all patients. A mean PHQ-9 score of 6.1 ± 4.9 was found after cancellation. PHQ-9 scores of 10 or above were found in 14% of patients, and 8% exhibited scores of 15 points or above. Significantly higher PHQ-9 scores were seen in female patients (p = 0.046). No significant differences in PHQ-9 scores were found among age groups, procedures or reasons for cancellation. CONCLUSION: Cancellation of elective orthopaedic surgery resulted in pain levels that were significantly higher than when the surgery was scheduled, leading to increased analgesic use. Additionally, significant psychosocial distress due to the cancellation was identified in some patients, particularly middle-aged women. Despite these results, confidence in the national health care system and in the treating orthopaedic surgeons was not affected. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III.

Clinical outcome before and after COVID-19 quarantine in patients affect of knee and hip osteoarthritis.

BACKGROUND: The emergency caused by COVID-19 Pandemia has resulted in a complete suspension and consequent delay of common planned surgery such total hip replacement in patients affect by osteoarthritis. At the same time, the issue of the quarantine imposed changes to the normal lifestyle of these patients. The purpose of our study is to evaluate how the presence of these two factors affect the quality of live of patients living in the Italian red zone. METHODS: From outpatient pre-operative assessment we collect data about: demographic data, WOMAC score, NRS (Numeric rating scale 0-10), PCS SF12 and MCS SF12 score. Selected patients were therefore contacted by telephone call and re-assess using the same score. In addition, patients were asked if they intended to undergo the planned surgery again despite the current emergency Results:  14 patient have been recruited for the study. Male/female ration was 10/4, mean age was 70 years. Pre operative outpatient assessment mean WOMAC score was 44,86 (SD ± 8,52) , mean NRS was 8,07 (SD ± 1,33), PCS SF12 was  30,33 (SD ± 5,0) and MCS SF12 was 40,95 (SD ± 3,51).  At re-evalutation the mean WOMAC score was 32,86 (SD ± 17,88) , mean NRS was 5,79 (SD ± 3,66), PCS SF12 was  39,9 (SD ± 3,70) and MCS SF12 was 50,14 (SD ± 6,86) Conclusion:  The exceptionale pandemic from Covid-19 has profoundly changed our lifestyle, impacting normal daily activities but also on regular surgical activity in patients affected by osteoarthritis. Our study suggested that the lifestyle changes imposed by the situation led to an improvement of clinical score. This shows how an exceptional event can affect many aspects of daily life.

Enhanced Recovery after Surgery (ERAS) for Hip and Knee Replacement-Why and How It Should Be Implemented Following the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a reduction in hip and knee replacement surgery across healthcare systems. When regular operating returns, there will be a large volume of patients and an emphasis on a short hospital stay. Patients will be keen to return home, and capacity will need to maximised. Strategies to reduce the associated risks of surgery and to accelerate recovery will be needed, and so Enhanced Recovery after Surgery (ERAS) should be promoted as the model of care. ERAS protocols are proven to reduce hospital stay safely; however, ERAS pathways may require adaption to ensure both patient and staff safety. The risk of exposure to possible sources of COVID-19 should be limited, and so hospital visits should be minimised. The use of technology such as smartphone apps to provide pre-operative education, wearable activity trackers to assist with rehabilitation, and the use of telemedicine to complete outpatient appointments may be utilised. Also, units should be reminded that ERAS protocols are multi-modal, and every component is vital to minimise the surgical stress response. The focus should be on providing better and not just faster care. Units should learn from the past in order to expedite the implementation of or adaption of existing ERAS protocols. Strong leadership will be required, along with a supportive organisational culture, an inter-professional approach, and a recognised QI method should be used to contextualize improvement efforts.

Post-hospital discharge venous thromboembolism prophylaxis in medically ill patients.

There is a widely expressed concern about an unmet need for post hospitalization venous thromboembolism (VTE) prophylaxis in medically ill patients, however, physicians and hospitals have been slow to implement this measure. Recommendations against extended VTE prophylaxis in medical patients from the American Society of Hematology (ASH) in 2018 and the withholding of approval of betrixiban by the European Medicines Agency also in 2018 may have been influential in this regard. Furthermore, rivaroxaban the other drug approved for this indication in the U.S has not yet been approved in Europe. In addition, hospital administrators, those monitoring expenses in the U.S, have been reluctant to support a treatment which will mostly involve outpatients. Internal medicine physicians, hospitalists and nursing home physicians have not shared the fervor for post hospital VTE prophylaxis, whether with anticoagulants or aspirin, that their orthopedic surgery colleagues have, particularly in hip and knee arthroplasty. This is despite an increased risk of post hospital discharge thrombosis in both groups of patients. Enter hospitalized patients with COVID-19, a potentially severe medical illness with high hospitalization related thrombosis risk, and questions arise as to whether these medical patients, who are clearly more hypercoagulable during hospitalization than those in previous studies, should warrant post hospital discharge prophylaxis.

The Initial Impact of COVID-19 on Total Hip and Knee Arthroplasty.

BACKGROUND: The SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic caused a massive disruption in elective arthroplasty practice in the United States that to date has not been quantified. We sought to determine the impact of COVID-19 on arthroplasty volumes in the United States, how this varied across the country, and the resultant financial implications. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective analysis of Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries undergoing primary and revision total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and total hip arthroplasty (THA) from January 1st through March 31st, 2020 with 74,080 TKAs and 54,975 THAs identified. We calculated the percent drop in average daily cases from before and after March 18, 2020. We then examined variation across states in arthroplasty case volumes as it related to reported COVID-19 cases, the impact of COVID-19 on length of stay and percentage of patients discharged home. Finally, we calculated the revenue impact on hospitals and surgeons. RESULTS: There was a steep decline in TKA and THA volumes in mid-March of 94% and 92%, respectively. There was a significant variation for arthroplasty case volumes across states. We found minimal change in length of stay except for primary THAs with fracture going from 5 + days to 4 days. We saw an increasing trend in discharge to home with the greatest effect in primary THAs with fracture. The total daily hospital Medicare revenue for arthroplasty declined by 87% and surgeon revenue decreased by 85%. CONCLUSION: The beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic caused a significant decrease in arthroplasty volumes in the Medicare population with a resultant substantial revenue loss for hospitals and surgeons.

Urgent Arthroplasty Interventions During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Operating Risks in Low-Prevalence Areas.

Background and objective Orthopaedic services have reorganised their delivery of care in response to the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic. In this study, we aimed to share our operating experience during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and analyse its effect on urgent hip and knee arthroplasty. Our study involved a comparative analysis between a cohort of patients from 2019 (pre-COVID) and another from 2020. Methods Tha data relating to patients undergoing urgent operations requiring arthroplasty interventions such as for infection, periprosthetic fracture (PPF) and neck of femur fracture (NOF) between April and July of 2020 and 2019 were reviewed prospectively and retrospectively. Patients were categorised according to the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) case prioritisation and the COVID-19 risk assessment. Data were collected on 30-day mortality, readmissions, reoperations, complications, length of hospital stay and theatre efficiency. This was analysed, matched and compared. Statistical analysis was performed on categorical variables including the time to the theatre as well as dual consultant operating. Results A total of 46 consecutive patients were included in the 2020 cohort with a mean age of 78 years (range: 58-108 years). The median length of stay was 6.5 days (range: 3-35 days) and the median time to theatre for NOF patients was 23.8 hours (range: 16.2-87.7 hours). There were six complications and two deaths; one of the deaths was COVID-19-related. A total of 56 patients were included from 2019 with a mean age of 74.6 years (range: 45-88 years). The median length of stay was five days (range: 1-18 days) and the median time to theatre for NOF patients was 40.8 hours (range: 18.9-167 hours). There were four complications and one death. Conclusion Based on our findings, it is safe to perform complex surgery in a region of low community prevalence of COVID-19, and the outcomes were comparable to those from a pre-COVID-19 cohort.

Thirty-Day Mortality in COVID-19 Positive Patients With Hip Fractures: A Case-Series and Literature Review.

INTRODUCTION: The novel coronavirus has spread rapidly around the world with particularly high mortality in the elderly. Care and nursing homes have become the sites of greatest concentration of cases. We intended to review 30-day mortality of COVID-19 patients with hip fractures. This is relevant given the disease impact in this age group. METHODS: Medline and Embase databases were searched for relevant studies linked to mortality and morbidity in COVID-19 patients who have undergone non-elective hip surgeries using the keywords "COVID-19"OR "SARS-cov-2"OR "Coronavirus Infections"; AND "Surgery"OR "Hip"OR "Fracture"OR "Orthopedics." We included all patients with hip fractures, but excluded pathological fractures and other non-traumatic hip pathologies. Four-hundred and eighty-one articles were identified for screening, in addition to an unpublished case-series of 67 patients that have 3 cases turned positive for COVID 19, yielding a total of 50patients for the final review. RESULTS: The study included 4 articles published until May 9th 2020 and a case-series: 26(52%) patients were females; the median age was 86years; hypertension(53.6%), diabetes mellitus type II(28.6%), and coronary artery heart disease(25%) were the most common comorbidities; 34(68%) patients had intertrochanteric hip fracture and 16(32%) patients had femoral neck fractures; 22(59.5%) patients underwent cephalomedullary nail fixation, 12(32.4%) patients had hemiarthroplasty, and for 3(8.1%) patients, the type of surgery was not documented; 20(40%) patients died(12patients died before the surgery and 8died after surgery at a median time of 3days), 29(76.3%) patients had an unremarkable course throughout hospitalization and were discharged including 1(2.6%) patient managed non-operatively, and 1(2.6%) patient was admitted to the ICU after the surgery but eventually discharged. CONCLUSION: COVID-19 infected elderly patients have a higher 30-days mortality rate compared to non-COVID-19 infected cases. Further studies are warranted to look at the morbidity and mortality rates in COVID-19 positive patients with hip fractures and to investigate how these outcomes can be improved. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV.

COVID-19 consent and return to elective orthopaedic surgery: allowing a true patient choice?

AIMS: The exact risk to patients undergoing surgery who develop COVID-19 is not yet fully known. This study aims to provide the current data to allow adequate consent regarding the risks of post-surgery COVID-19 infection and subsequent COVID-19-related mortality. METHODS: All orthopaedic trauma cases at the Wrightington Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust from 'lockdown' (23 March 2020) to date (15 June 2020) were collated and split into three groups. Adult ambulatory trauma surgeries (upper limb trauma, ankle fracture, tibial plateau fracture) and regional-specific referrals (periprosthetic hip fracture) were performed at a stand-alone elective site that accepted COVID-19-negative patients. Neck of femur fractures (NOFF) and all remaining non-NOFF (paediatric trauma, long bone injury) surgeries were performed at an acute site hospital (mixed green/blue site). Patients were swabbed for COVID-19 before surgery on both sites. Age, sex, nature of surgery, American Society of Anaesthesiologists (ASA) grade, associated comorbidity, length of stay, development of post-surgical COVID-19 infection, and post-surgical COVID-19-related deaths were collected. RESULTS: At the elective site, 225 patients underwent orthopaedic trauma surgery; two became COVID-19-positive (0.9%) in the immediate perioperative period, neither of which was fatal. At the acute site, 93 patients underwent non-NOFF trauma surgery, of whom six became COVID-19-positive (6.5%) and three died. A further 84 patients underwent NOFF surgery, seven becoming COVID-19 positive (8.3%) and five died. CONCLUSION: At the elective site, the rate of COVID-19 infection following orthopaedic trauma surgery was low, at 0.9%. At the acute mixed site (typical district general hospital), for non-NOFF surgery there was a 6.5% incidence of post-surgical COVID-19 infection (seven-fold higher risk) with 50% COVID-19 mortality; for NOFF surgery, there was an 8.3% incidence of post-surgical COVID-19 infection, with 71% COVID-19 mortality. This is likely to have significance when planning a resumption of elective orthopaedic surgery and for consent to the patient.Cite this article: Bone Joint Open 2020;1-9:556-561.

How COVID-19 has affected emergent visits to a Latin-American trauma department: Experience at a Peruvian national trauma referral center.

INTRODUCTION: By May 2020, Peru was the country with the third most COVID-19 cases in the Americas. The current study's overall aim was to examine the impact of the current COVID-19 outbreak on the number of non-COVID-related patient presentations to a major national emergency traumatology/orthopedics referral center in Latin America. METHODS: An observational study was performed at one of Peru's main tertiary trauma referral centers, during the current COVID-19 pandemic. Numbers of non-follow-up patients presenting to the traumatology/ orthopedics service were counted and compared between January through April 2019 and January through April 2020; and between the month immediately prior to the Peruvian government's implementation of national lock-down measures (Feb 16-Mar 15; Period 1) and the month immediately following (Mar 16-Apr 15; Period 2). The number of surgery service hospitalizations also was compared pre- versus post lockdown initiation (Period 1 vs. 2), as were patient characteristics and outcomes, like age, sex, discharge disposition, mortality, indications for hospital admission, and COVID-19 status. RESULT: Comparing 2019 and 2020, no appreciable differences were detected in the number of patients seen in either January or February. However, relative to March and April 2019, the numbers of patients seen in March and April 2020 (the two months after the first Peruvian case of COVID-19 was detected) were reduced by 55.8 and 88.6%, respectively. Comparing the months immediately pre and post lockdown, the number of service patients declined by 79.9% in April, while the number of hospitalizations declined by 30.9%. The number of admissions for various surgical indications either remained stable or declined in parallel with the overall decline in admissions for all indications except for osteoporotic hip fractures and diabetic foot ulcers (both of which increased proportional to the overall number of admissions) and for hand and foot fractures, both of which decreased. CONCLUSION: At our hospital, not all indications for traumatology/orthopedics service utilization declined despite the national government's directive to reduce non-COVID-related consultations and admissions. Some disorders presented with even greater frequency, which must be considered when developing contingencies for the reallocation of healthcare resources during a pandemic.

Assessing the Attitudes, Awareness, and Behavioral Alterations of Patients Awaiting Total Hip Arthroplasty During the COVID-19 Crisis.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 has placed a huge burden on healthcare systems which has led to widespread cancellation elective surgical care. Ireland is recovering from the first wave of COVID-19 and as such the expeditious return of elective surgical care is important. This is the first study to examine the attitudes of patients to undergoing total joint arthroplasty during the COVID-19 crisis. METHODS: A prospective qualitative study was undertaken in our institution during the week 13/05/2020-20/05/2020. 65 patients completed a questionnaire assessing attitudes, awareness, and behavioral changes associated with COVID-19, a Charlson Comorbidity Index, modified-Harris Hip Score, and a Short Form-12 score. RESULTS: 86% of patients felt that they were at little to no risk of COVID-19 infection. The majority of patients were happy to proceed with surgery at the current level of COVID-19 related threat (86%). Patients with higher mHHS were more likely to postpone their operation than those with lower mHHS scores. Our cohort had low patient reported outcome measures in both mHHS and SF-12, indicating the significant burden of hip osteoarthritis on both physical and mental health. CONCLUSION: Patients reported a significant disease-related impairment of physical function and subsequent deterioration in mental health as a result of hip osteoarthritis. Patients with worse hip function, as measured by the mHHS are more willing to proceed with surgery than those with superior hip function. This offers a potential mechanism by which to triage patients once elective surgical pathways reopen in the coming months.

The negative impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on pain and physical function in patients with end-stage hip or knee osteoarthritis.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate pain, functional impairment, mental health, and daily activity in patients with end-stage hip and knee osteoarthritis (OA) during the COVID-19 lockdown. METHODS: The study included 63 patients, with hip or knee OA, who had been scheduled for arthroplasty that was postponed because of COVID-19. Patients were evaluated by telephone interviews during the first week after lockdown, in the fourth week, and again at the end of the lockdown. Patients rated their pain level on the basis of a visual analog scale (VAS) and completed WOMAC, SF-12 and Tegner activity scale (TAS) questionnaires. RESULTS: VAS and WOMAC scores increased significantly during lockdown, while physical activity significantly decreased. At the final evaluation, VAS and WOMAC showed a significant negative correlation with TAS. The SF-12 subscale scores showed a significant decrease of the physical component during the lockdown, while the mental component remained largely unchanged. Patients with knee OA showed a faster progress of pain compared to those with hip OA. 50 patients (79%) stated they wished to have arthroplasty as soon as possible. CONCLUSION: The COVID-19 lockdown had a significant impact on pain, joint function, physical function, and physical activity in patients with end-stage hip and knee OA. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: II (Prospective cohort study).

Symptom management for patients awaiting joint replacement surgery.

BACKGROUND: Joint replacement surgery is a highly effective treatment option for patients with severe osteoarthritis (OA) of the hip and knee when other treatments have failed. Unfortunately, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, a temporary suspension of non-urgent elective surgery was implemented. Thousands of patients currently awaiting hip and knee replacements have been affected. Many of these patients will present to their general practitioners for symptom management during this interim period. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this article is to summarise current recommendations for the non-operative management of patients with symptomatic OA. DISCUSSION: Non-operative treatment modalities for OA include education, lifestyle modification and exercise, mass reduction, physiotherapy, orthoses, psychology, pharmaceuticals and injections. Multimodal therapy is required for patients with severe symptoms. A number of useful online resources are presented, as access to public allied health services may be limited because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on an Emergency Traumatology Service: Experience at a Tertiary Trauma Centre in Spain.

INTRODUCTION: The severe disruptions caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus have necessitated a redistribution of resources to meet hospitals' current service needs during this pandemic. The aim of this study was to provide an overview of the impact of the pandemic, and its corresponding State of Emergency, on a tertiary traumatology emergency service. METHODS: An observational study was performed at a tertiary hospital within the Spanish National Health System. Four different periods were studied, including the first 20 days of Spain's current State of Emergency, from March 14 to April 02, 2020 (Period 4). This period was compared to the 20-day period prior to the State of Emergency (Period 3), and to matching periods in the two previous years (Periods 1 and 2). A total of 6,565 patient visits were analyzed: 1909 in Period 1 (29.1%), 2161 in Period 2 (32.9%), 1983 in Period 3 (30.2%), and 512 in Period 4 (7.8%). Variables collected included patient age and sex, insurance type, discharge destination and reason for hospital admission. RESULTS: The patients' mean age was 55.1 years old (Standard Deviation (SD): 22.1), and 51.8% were women (3495/6565). During the COVID-19 pandemic, there were significant reductions in total visits to the trauma emergency department, workplace accidents, traffic accidents and number of hospital admissions, particularly during Period 4. However, no statistically-significant differences were found in the number of osteoporotic hip fractures admitted between the four periods. The numbers of hospital admissions for osteoporotic hip fracture were 42 during Period 1, 41 during Period 2, 43 during Period 3 and 36 during Period 4. CONCLUSIONS: While most traumatological presentations decreased in frequency over the course of the outbreak, the number of osteoporotic hip fractures remained stable. Thus, contingency plans in times of crisis need to be carefully targeted, and to keep in mind certain public health issues that do not decrease, despite a State of Emergency, like osteoporotic hip fractures.